Treat or Trick
by LaraClover
Summary: What does the "trick" mean in "trick-or-treat"? An alien is introduced to the concept of Halloween by the Earthling countries, but he's not only looking for treats. He is desperate to befriend one of the Earthlings, perhaps a little too much so… This story, also known as "Oni Origins" (before the title change), is my prequel to a certain HetaGame.
1. What a Stink

_It stinks on this planet. It's noisy too._

"This 'Earth' place sucks," I told my brother. "I want to have fun."

"Don't be silly," laughed Tony. "This is paradise! You'll see! We have games and horror movies. I'm never going home!"

I let out a snort. Ever since Tony moved to Earth, all he thought about were those stupid games. I loved games, but not the kind that made your thoughts feel fuzzy and your eyes feel glassy. Tony never wanted to play _my_ games anymore. He only played with America. I didn't know what horror movies were, but just sitting around watching anything sounded like a waste of time.

 _I think I'm jealous._

I wasn't jealous that Tony lived in this hellhole. I wasn't even jealous that he liked America better than me. But I envied their close bond, a bond I knew I was missing. I didn't have a friend. I wished I could be close to someone. It would be thrilling to have a bonded Earthling pet. Or a friend. Was that the same thing?

 _I don't understand their customs._

"Why are you carving signs into those big orange orb plants? Is it magic? Is it torture?"

"It's Halloween!" said Tony as if that was even more delightful. "America and I and some of his friends are trick-or-treating together: you wanna join?"

"No," I mumbled. I didn't know what he was talking about. A boring activity? But then again... "Yes." I changed my mind. "I meant yes. I'm joining."

Tony gave me a curious look, but I just shrugged. A little piece inside my big head was excited, but I chose to ignore it. I was hoping too hard. It wouldn't happen. America's friends could never be interested in me...

"We need to get our preparations in order," said my brother, and then he asked a curious question:

 _"What time is it?"_

It was peculiar how time worked on this smelly planet. I didn't care for any of the other earthly devices Tony showed me ("tee-vees" that displayed moving images, "glasses" that could cure humans' bad eyesight, "radios" that made a lot of incomprehensible noise for no apparent reason), but the clocks fascinated me. I could hold one up against my ear and listen to the ticking for days. It felt as if these clocks and their constant, meditative ticking were what kept this planet's time in control. I wondered what would happen if you broke one...


	2. Time

"And THIS, dear aliens, is the World Meeting Room!" It was the place where we were supposed to meet up. Apparently it was a very important building, but they didn't tell us why. Why would they make an important building look so ugly and boring?

America had just finished putting his costume on (representing some famous Earthling superhero) and explained to us how Halloween worked. You had to make yourself look like something scary, or something fun, and go to people's houses collecting treats, but America had told us we didn't have to dress up, since aliens were apparently scary enough.

 _Collecting treats. That sounds promising._

"Alright, wait up here. I'll be right back: I'm gonna get a bigger treat bag!"

Some of his friends were already there. One was dressed in what Tony called a "creepy cosplay outfit". Another was wearing a pumpkin around his hips and nothing else: did that even count as a costume? A man in a pointy hat and with an unusual amount of hair growth above his eyes approached us.

"Why hello there Tony! And who is this new alien? Or are you just in costume?"

America had taught Tony a little bit of Earthian, and he had taught me, but we weren't very good at speaking it...

"It's my brother," Tony tried to say in Earthian, but I wasn't sure if he could understand the words.

"I'm England," said the man. "Are you liking Halloween so far?"

I thought for a moment until I knew something to say.

 _"I... like... clocks..."_

"Oh, goodie!" said England. "I like clocks too! They're even mentioned in my magic spell books!" He pulled some books out of his bag. What was he thinking? I couldn't even read... But I kept watching and listening as he explained:

"This book has a chapter on the magic of clocks, and lookie here: this other book can turn back time! Isn't that bloody brilliant?"

I nodded my head: "yes" in Earthian. I watched closely as he put the books back in his bag, and a soft sound came from my nose. Even after he'd walked away from us and was arguing with the other Earthlings, I was still eyeing that spot in his bag.


	3. Treat

"Pastaaaaa! Ve!" What a commotion. More of America's friends had arrived. Tony pointed out a military uniform, a panda suit, a matryoshka doll... but when I saw the squealing man, my gaze was fixated on him and him alone. He was dressed as an alien.

"Look, everybody! I'm a Pictonian!"

"What the hell, Italy?! Those aliens were annoying!"

"Don't be silly! The aliens are my friends!"

 _The aliens are my friends. The aliens are my friends. The aliens..._

I moved my long neck, trying to catch his attention. Then I waved. It worked.

"Hey, look, I'm not the only alien! Hi there, you two! I know Tony, but who are you?"

I told him my name, but the friendly man jumped back in terror.

"Mamma mia! Please don't kill me! Why do you growl and be so scary?! I just wanted to know your name!"

I looked at the ground, a bit ashamed. I was just saying my name...

"Do you have a name? Mine is Italy Veneziano!"

I shrugged. I didn't know how to translate my name into Earthian.

"I'm back!" America had returned to the meeting place.

"America, we need help!" Italy cried out. "This alien has no name! It's so sad! We should give him one!"

"Cool beans!" said America. "I'll think about it, 'kay?"

 _Why was he upset? He asked, I answered. I played by the rules._

It was time to go. We headed towards a nearby city, where we knocked on the doors and yelled: "Trick or treat!" It was stupid, but secretly fun. I felt a giddy feeling, "festive", as Tony would call it. It was the feeling that I belonged.

In the beginning, a few people had seemed uneasy or agitated, getting into quarrels and hiding behind trees, and I'd been slightly annoyed at this seemingly pointless party, but after a couple houses, we'd all gotten in the spirit. Some of us were happy with their candy, others happy to be together, and the man called Italy held my hand as we skipped together from house to house. I loved the dark. I loved the glowing pumpkins, and the stars, and all the other, unfamiliar lights that added extra magic to the darkness. Earth was much more beautiful by night, and when I looked up to the sky, I saw that it had the most beautiful moon, and I could have sworn this moon was winking at me.

"Taste it!" said the man called Italy. "It's yummy!" He was talking about the candies. I took one of the tiny, colorful pieces of treat from my bag and plopped it in my mouth. I was immediately disappointed.

 _This tastes disgusting..._

"It's okay if you don't like it," said Italy. "It's about the fun, after all!"

I nodded.

"Are you having fun?" asked Italy.

I nodded again.

"Yay!" said Italy, grinning so widely that it made me want to smile. I moved my mouth from side to side, trying to figure out how smiling worked. Italy laughed and we skipped on to the next house. The others followed us, but I wasn't paying attention to them anymore.

"Trick or treat!"

The two people from the house looked into their closet for the same yucky candies we already had so many of. In the corner, I noticed a small clock. I was distracted. I walked towards it.

"Here's your candy!"

I didn't react. I barely heard them.

"Don't you want your treat?"

Now I turned around and looked them in the eyes.

 _"I want a clock."_

The people laughed nervously. "Don't be silly! Here you go!" They put candy in my bag. The same disgusting candy. I growled, but when Italy said "Hey, be nice!", I stopped immediately. I took a last look at the clock, and then I shrugged and went back out. It was about the fun, after all, not the treats.

"Are... you... my friend?" I asked Italy.

"Of course I'm your friend!" said Italy. "I love being friends!"

I nodded softly, and at the corner of the street, I stopped walking.

"Be my friend..." I whispered, "forever..."

"How 'bout Steve?" said a loud voice behind us. "Steve is a cool name!"

"Good idea, America!" said Italy. "Let's call him Steve! Did you hear that, Steve! You have a name now!"

"That's not my name," I whispered, but I whispered it in my own language, and I didn't know how to translate that.


	4. Trick

_"What does the 'trick' mean in 'trick or treat'? I've only gotten treats so far."_

"No one actually gives tricks," the military man told the panda costume. "If they don't have treats, they will simply turn their lights off."

"Dudes, you got it all wrong!" said America. "'Trick or treat' means _you_ give a trick if you don't get a treat. It's like a threat! Not that anyone ever does that, of course..."

We were nearing the edge of the city. It was darker here, and somehow even more magical. The wind moaned softly and brushed over a hill at the end of the road. It seemed as if the moon shone brighter than anywhere else...

"Alright, this'll be the last house, and then we'll head back home!" America led the group to the door.

"What is this about?" A wrinkled man opened the door.

"Trick or treat!"

"I'm sorry, I don't have any treats."

"Aww," said America. "You must have _something_ to give us!"

"I've got nothing."

Some of America's friends were leaving, but I knew the man was lying. I could smell that there were treats to be found here, and much better ones than the disgusting candies from the other houses. I could hear a ticking noise... I peered through the window. Against the wall stood an enormous clock. It was the most wonderful thing I had ever seen.

 _The perfect treat._

"C'mon guys, let's go home. This man's a bummer." America turned around and went after his friends.

"Just go," said Tony, following America. "Let's not be rude."

But I stayed. It was just me and Italy at the door now. I pulled my eyes away from the window so I could look straight into the wrinkled man's face.

"I told you, I've got nothing."

"Give me the clock."

"What?!"

"Give me the clock," I said louder, still looking directly into his eyes.

"Don't be silly, Steve!" said Italy with a nervous tremor in his voice. "I'll buy you a clock... We're friends, after all!"

"I want _this_ clock," I said.

"You can't have my clock, boy," said the wrinkled man. "Get out of my yard!"

"Trick or treat," I said. "I play by the rules." I lifted an arm, and while I lashed my claws at the man's chest, I yelled:

"Trick!"

The man fell backward, but soon picked himself up again and grabbed a stick from the kitchen: the thing Tony calls a "broom". I waited my turn. I let him thrust the broom into my face. I caught it with my mouth and watched his horrified face as I easily bit it in half.

"My turn," I growled in my own language, and I lashed at his cheek. One of my claws sliced through his ear, and there was blood flowing everywhere. His face was priceless. This was what he got for disrespecting the Halloween rules.

"Stop! P-please stop!" Why was Italy sobbing? Earthlings made that noise when they were sad. I didn't want him to be sad. This intensified my anger at that man. I would make sure Italy would get the biggest treat of all. I would make sure I'd see him smiling again.

I waited for the man to take his turn in combat, but instead, he turned his back to me and fled. The coward! I ran after him and pounced onto his back, digging my teeth into his shoulder. I chewed and swallowed, then bit into his neck.

"Treat," I said, turning around to smile at Italy, but he was only sobbing louder. The man's blood was on my arms and dripping down my face. I went into the living room and picked up the majestic clock. I hugged it tightly, then bowed down and placed it at Italy's feet.

 _"For you."_

But Italy couldn't look at the clock. He could barely look me in the eye.

"N-no, Steve... I can't... you can't do this..."

I pushed the clock closer to him and muttered: "Friends... forever..."

"No, Steve!" Italy's face looked pained. "If you're so... so horrible... then we can't be friends. I'm sorry!" He turned away and hurried to the door.

"Don't leave..." I wanted to cry, but I didn't have tears like Earthlings did. I wanted to strike him, but the big clock was in the way. I could hear its ticking like a heartbeat, and when Italy ran away from me, I hugged the clock and let the ticking take over my body.

 _Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock..._

"What in tarnation has happened here?!" It felt like ages later, even though the clock only showed me a minute's difference. I recognized the voice of England, and I lifted my face up slightly.

"Make Italy return," I whispered, but England shrieked: "Good lord!"

 _What is it?_ I wanted to ask. _What have I done wrong?_ I didn't understand.

"What the fuck?!" America ran into the house, followed by Tony. The two Earthlings looked horrified. Tony just looked sad.

"You can't go around killing people," he said to me in our language. "That's disrespectful. It goes against all Earth's rules..."

It wasn't fair. It truly wasn't fair. All I did was _follow_ the rules. I didn't get a treat, so I could play a trick. And Italy knew that. He knew I meant well, and yet he left me! He'd said we would be friends, and then he took that promise and crushed it! We would've been bonded for eternity, but he decided that he couldn't even last a day! Not even one short day...

 _I've been betrayed!_

I let out a roar. America jumped back, then grabbed a weapon and started shooting pieces of iron at me. It only hurt a little, and I knew he'd run out of those before I could possibly die. England held some sort of stick in his hand and his words made light shoot out of it. A lightbeam hit me and I flew into the wall, so then I knew I should dodge those. A bookshelf caught fire, and then a table, and a carpet... I ran around the house, up and down the stairs, collecting every clock I could find and putting them all inside my mouth. Treasures, trophies, sources of control. When I came back to the hallway, Tony and the two Earthlings were running out the door to escape the flames. I gently lifted up the big, beautiful clock that had caught my eye and that still mesmerized me, and I felt its soothing heartbeat against my chest. Then I noticed that England had left his bag of spell books here inside the burning house. Carefully, I took the books out of the bag, and put them into a little door inside the clock. Summoning demons, cloning yourself... All this black magic sounded interesting, but the most fascinating was the one about time travel. I put this book in the very heart of the clock and ran out of the house. An icy wind howled past my face, but I felt warm from the blanket of flames and the ticking of clocks all around and inside me.

"Steve?!" I vaguely heard Italy's voice in the wind behind me as I ran over the hill to the other side. There was another house there: bigger, better... Treats for Italy? Treats for me?

I couldn't knock with the giant clock in my arms, so I pushed the door open. It was unlocked, and the key was still in it on the inside. The house seemed deserted. I put the big clock down, took the other ones out of my mouth and set them beside it. I could feel that the flames on my skin had died out. I held the key in my hand and took one last look outside. I could have sworn that I saw Italy's face, and I waved at him, softly. I knew he would come back here sooner or later, but we would no longer be friends. He had broken our friendship, and I would make sure to return the favor.

 _So long, Italy_.

I explored the house. I found a broken mirror and a fountain pen. I examined myself in the mirror. I wasn't badly injured: I would recover within a week, perhaps within hours, depending how long weeks and hours were, of which I wasn't quite certain. The only noticeable change was that my skin had turned a darker grey from the fire.

I then took the fountain pen. Tony had tried to teach me... I tried to scribble something, but to no success: the pen was empty. So I let the blood from my chin and teeth drip inside, until the pen's insides were filled with the old man's blood. I took England's time travelling book and wrote my name in it. It was mine now. But no one would know even if they read it. It wouldn't read "Steve", nor would it read my real name, because I didn't know how to write. It would probably vaguely resemble some other name from some other language in some other story, somewhere...

* * *

I settled down after a while. I could live here... With this key, I was the master of the house, and there was no other inhabitant to claim the place, and if there was, I would turn him into a mochi: I remembered having glimpsed a spell for that in one of these black magic books... I laughed to myself. They would come back here, perhaps a year from now, or many years, or any other time, and whatever time it was, they would be just on time for my revenge. They wouldn't even remember me, except possibly Italy, and if he did, it would only be a vague memory somewhere in the back of his mind. I would be their worst nightmare, over and over again. I would let Italy write his name in that book, right there under mine, and we would be bound to each other forever, no, much longer than that. I would always remember his cruel rejection of what I was, and what he too could so easily become without the treat of trust and friendship. He was - and they all were - like the old man, not giving me what I deserved to have. And every time they came to my door with their unknowing faces, I would relive those moments of that Halloween evening, and think to myself:

 _Trick_


End file.
